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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

Believe it or not, our 28th quarterly Piano World Adult Beginners Forum recital approaches! The recital will be posted some time on the 15th of November, which means that the submissions must be in by 9:00 pm Eastern Time, November 14. Please note this deadline is very firm; I cannot start working on the recital until it is closed, and once it is closed, no new entries can be added.

While any and all styles of music are welcome, we do ask that it be piano related. Only one recording may be submitted per forum member (although that recording may consist of a medley of two or more very short related pieces).

If you are fairly new to the piano, please do not be intimidated by some of the talent here in the ABF. We all consider ourselves to be beginners even though we may have been playing for some time. And, we LOVE to hear recordings from folks new to the keyboard. So even if you’re on your first Alfred’s method book, we would *really* enjoy hearing from you.

Recital submissions must be in MP3 format. The maximum size of the file is 20 MB. We recommend encoding the recording at 192 kbs with a constant bitrate, as that works best with the online streaming player. At that bitrate, a 20 MB file works out to be about 7 minutes in length. Your recording will be normalized when placed in the consolidated zip files, but your original link will still be available for those who want it.

If you are new to recording your music, there are several threads in the forum archives that address the ways and means. See the "Important Topics in the AB Forum" thread stickied at the top of the AB forum page. Audacity is an excellent free recording application that can be used.

Submitting Your Recording:

We will be using again the absolutely marvelous automatic web-based recital program that mahlzeit wrote for us. You will upload your mp3 file to the recital server as part of the recital submission process.

and follow the instructions there. Please note that this URL reflects our new permanent home for all the recital files. Once you have uploaded your info to the automated recital software, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. You will have the opportunity to revise your submission any time up until the deadline. If you have any problems at all using the new website, or if you do not receive a confirmation e-mail within a few hours, just PM me. If you have not participated in past recitals using this software, you may want to submit your recital piece at least a day in advance in case you run into any problems with it.

The recital website uses the following submission template to be filled out along with your attached music file. You may want to have your responses to these fields prepared in advance so all you have to do is cut and paste:

The due date for all submissions is 9:00 pm US EASTERN TIME on November 14, 2012.

Did I mention that the 9:00 pm deadline was firm?

Think "consistency of concrete."

Please note also that the countdown clock on the recital website was acting up in the last recital and should not be relied upon as your sole time-keeper. Sam S. put in some heroic hours debugging the code, and we believe the problem is fixed, but (just in case) you should be aware that the deadline will be measured by "real" time. (Do not, I repeat, not, get all philosophical or physics-y on me and start debating what "real" time is.) In fact, do yourself and me a favor and don't put off submitting your piece until the last hour. Pretty please.

By submitting a piece to the recital, you are certifying that it is a recording of your own performance.

Again, the recital order will be presented in the order the pieces were received, so the sooner you send in your piece, the higher you will be on the list! You can revise your entries on the template (e.g., thoughts about your piece, adding YouTube links, and the like) any time and not lose your place in the recital queue, but if you resubmit your recording at any time, for any reason, you will be bumped to the end of the list.

Should anyone have any questions at all on what to do or how to do it, this is the place to ask. Remember, there are NO stupid questions, as we have a steady flow of new members in AB forum for whom this is their first recital, so your questions will probably help to eliminate other members’ problems. Please ask away!

Let's all go out and brave that Red Dot and share a lot of beautiful music!

Well I'm in at # 12. I would have made the top 10 but just as I went to record using the Zoom I noticed that my RCA to 1/4'' plug adapter was broken. I needed this piece to record directly from my digital piano into the Zoom using the line level input (as well as a 2 into 1 "Y" stereo mini adapter. (I didn't move the mighty Mason this time. It's getting way to expensive and I'm having a ton of fun whipping around the Roland digital.)

I got through that ordeal thanks to a somewhat nearby Radio shack. A little pricey though!

Anyway, I usually end up dropping a few places by recital time as others below me question (and re-question) their submitted performances...(post submittal dissonance)? but this group seems really strong and committed so I may end up at an even dozen. Lots of great performances to look forward to.

Anyway, I usually end up dropping a few places by recital time as others below me question (and re-question) their submitted performances...(post submittal dissonance)? but this group seems really strong and committed so I may end up at an even dozen. Lots of great performances to look forward to.

Funny you say that ... post submittal dissonance. I had a strong leaning towards re-recoding today, but then thought better of it. The thing is ... will I ever be completely happy with it? I think not.

Kind of a double edge sword isn't it? On the one hand with a recorded piece we can take as many tries as we want to get it right. But will it ever be right? Not for me I don't think.

I've resigned to settle for ... this was the best I could do on the day I decided to record. Too bad I didn't record on a better day ...

Greener, always wanting to do better is not a bad trait to have. It's part of our human nature. You seem to have it. That's good.

You and people like you are not slackers. Just the opposite. You are always looking for ways to do better and improve.

I'm similar in that respect but I've also been accused many times of not stopping and smelling the roses.

At some point you have to step back and be proud of what you have already accomplished even if you know there is still more to come.

It's time to smell the roses; at least for a little while.

...and I will add this. You can always do better but sometimes you just have to say "OK, enough, here it is!" I think the day we say "This is perfect, I can't make it any better." is the day the work starts to lose it's spark. It's the drive to "make it better" that keeps the work interesting. Plus, if we keep waiting for the "perfect work" we'll probably never finish anything.

"The primary purpose of the recitals is to allow AB forum members to provide a snapshot of where they are in their piano journey at that particular point in time. The goal is not perfection but rather to share with one another our current projects." source:recitals.pianoworld.com

It's going to be a challenge for me this time with only ten days left. We moved this summer, I found a new piano teacher in September. We had a new baby born in October. And I started all new pieces in September instead of continuing where I left off with my old teacher. I've got 4 things brewing, two of them are short, maybe things will come together. Oh yeah, and I don't have my borrowed Zoom anymore. Need to order one of those! As you can see, factors are conspiring against me for ABF Recital #28.

Ah, I want to submit something but I don't have anything long enough that sounds decent. These little pieces we've been learning take about 20 seconds to play once I get them up to speed. :P

I'd rather listen to an interesting, well played short piece than a boring long one....

I agree - and Wouter is right too - add in a little repeat. Or string a few of your pieces together as a little theme.

Several of my submissions have been under a minute :J) This time I've got 2 little pieces and I'm still under 2 minutes

I'm in now at 26,right after Andy Platt.

_________________________ XVIII-XXXVISometimes I try to progress faster than I am ready for.SwissMsFollow your teacher's instructions and practice wisely/much, and you'll soon wonder how you ever found it hard. BobPicklePerformance anxiety: make it part of your daily routine and deal with it...Cope! zrtf90

But it's not well played, LOL. I mean, I did my best and it took about 75 takes to get a submittable one, but my best ain't all that hot. Still, though, I like submitting because it lets me hear my progress (at the expense of ruining a beautiful recital). Thanks for being a forgiving audience.

But it's not well played, LOL. I mean, I did my best and it took about 75 takes to get a submittable one, but my best ain't all that hot. Still, though, I like submitting because it lets me hear my progress (at the expense of ruining a beautiful recital). Thanks for being a forgiving audience.

Good for you! and NEVER think for an instant that you're ruining the recital! Good heavens! No.

Truly, truly I say to you..... we like to hear everyone's contributions. What is so very cool is that as you keep contributing we ALL get to hear your progress and give you feedback on it. I find that the encouragement I've received over the past few years has really meant a lot to me.

_________________________ XVIII-XXXVISometimes I try to progress faster than I am ready for.SwissMsFollow your teacher's instructions and practice wisely/much, and you'll soon wonder how you ever found it hard. BobPicklePerformance anxiety: make it part of your daily routine and deal with it...Cope! zrtf90

I'm in at #28. And I'm doing a prelude from Chopin's opus 28, so the number fits!

This is my first recording on my "new" piano. Tried various placements of my only microphone and finally settled on what Wouter told me to do - about a meter from the bend, pointed at the strings - close enough for amateurs.

Okay Monica, I have a 'technical' question. Lets say that my goal is not to 'beat' the system, but rather to 'relax' it (or at least my stress levels) a little. Couldn't I do the following:

1.) Submit a fairly decent recording of my submission on the first of the month which will secure me a low spot on the performance list but then under my comments I will say...."Please watch the video". Since you can add a video up until just about the last second, this will give me another 2 weeks to fine tune and practice before I really MUST submit it.

So, as long as your willing to submit a video of your performance, you actually have until around Monicas bedtime on the 14th to submit your piece and still make it.

Now I know this is risky due to the "firm as concrete" rule and I don't want to encourage procrastination, but I'm just wondering if my logic is correct.

Bottom line: I want to know if I still have 2 more weeks to practice for a video.

Okay Monica, I have a 'technical' question. Lets say that my goal is not to 'beat' the system, but rather to 'relax' it (or at least my stress levels) a little. Couldn't I do the following:

1.) Submit a fairly decent recording of my submission on the first of the month which will secure me a low spot on the performance list but then under my comments I will say...."Please watch the video". Since you can add a video up until just about the last second, this will give me another 2 weeks to fine tune and practice before I really MUST submit it.

So, as long as your willing to submit a video of your performance, you actually have until around Monicas bedtime on the 14th to submit your piece and still make it.

Now I know this is risky due to the "firm as concrete" rule and I don't want to encourage procrastination, but I'm just wondering if my logic is correct.

Bottom line: I want to know if I still have 2 more weeks to practice for a video.

Yes, the video counts as just editing the text of your submission, so you can change the text at the last minute. But then, the audio and video won't match. Many people use the streaming player and that uses the audio file.

I have done this when I make the videos with sheet music. But I am using the same audio file, just adding video to it. When I finally edit the text to point to the video, I don't lose my place in line.

>Now I know this is risky due to the "firm as concrete" rule and I don't want to encourage procrastination, but I'm just wondering if my logic is correct.

IMHO this logic is correct. I think it's possible in general to change videos while keeping the same link (so you can change even after the deadline). Furthermore, your place in the recital index would not match your actual submission time.

I'd rather suggest completely the opposite: why do we have a two-week submission slot anyway? Why not pick ONE DAY as deadline and require everyone to submit on that day? 24 hours for uploading seems plenty enough to me.

I'm in at #28. And I'm doing a prelude from Chopin's opus 28, so the number fits!

This is my first recording on my "new" piano. Tried various placements of my only microphone and finally settled on what Wouter told me to do - about a meter from the bend, pointed at the strings - close enough for amateurs.

Sam

Nice, recital 28 place 28 for chopin 28!

Great to hear that my suggested placement works for you. Looking forward to how it sounds.

I'd rather suggest completely the opposite: why do we have a two-week submission slot anyway? Why not pick ONE DAY as deadline and require everyone to submit on that day? 24 hours for uploading seems plenty enough to me.

You'd lose the members who are less active on the forum.

I don't know how "unique" I am in this, but the only reason i submitted was that I happened to check in and see submission open, and it happened to be a lazy Sunday afternoon with nothing on my schedule, and I happened to have something semi-submittable. Little chance I'd get something in with only a 24 hour window.